The Psychoshadowery of John Logie Baird
MARK WALTER
I met Jude Montague on a sunny but chilly January morning at the door of the Hastings Museum, and her beaming smile radiated from the entrance hall. I was there to talk to her about a new joint exhibition with her friend, artist Geraldine Swayne, inspired by the inventor of television, John Logie Baird. The show explores the light and the dark from the vision of Baird, and investigates the esoteric and historical landscape of Hastings and Sussex through paintings, moving pictures, and fine art prints.
From a film by Geraldine Swayne, Transmissions 1, 2, and 3
Montague has a PhD in Film and Visual Media from the University of London. She is a well-known contributor to the local art scene, and owns a shop and studio in Kings Road, St Leonards with her partner and collaborator Matt Armstrong. She covers many artistic bases including Fine Art prints and graphic novels. She is also a writer, composer and broadcaster. Swayne studied Fine Art at Newcastle University. She has made numerous experimental films including the world’s first super-8-to-Imax film East End, produced by Cathy Shaw and narrated by Miriam Margolyes with music by Nick Cave. She lives and works in Hastings.
MAD JACK
This is the first joint project by these two artists. It follows a group exhibition that took place in May 2024 at Electro Studio Project Space entitled ‘Spirit of Invention’, which celebrated the hundredth anniversary of John Logie Baird’s development of television in Hastings. While Montague is inspired by Baird’s story, Swayne’s subject is, in part, Montague herself. This is highlighted with three short films, created by Swayne, on Montague’s interest in, and ‘obsession’ with, John Logie Baird. One of the films features artist, writer and actor Julian Firth appearing alongside Montague on top of West Hill. Also highlighted are the follies of ‘Mad Jack ‘Fuller, or (as he preferred to be remembered) Honest John Fuller (1757-1834), who was an anti-abolition slave-owner, yet like a number of these, considered a philanthropist in his time, being a patron of J. M. W. Turner and Michael Faraday. As an MP, and squire of Brightling, he also instigated the building of many follies. These included the unique conical Sugar Loaf Folly in Brightling on the Fuller Estates, financed by the sugar trade.
STOOKY BILL
Other exhibition highlights include Stooky Bill, a ventriloquist doll whose unmoving features helped Baird develop his ‘televisor’. The lights were too bright for a human to sit underneath during the experimental stage and too hot to perfect the mechanism. Baird needed a still subject. Hence, the first transmitted human face was that of the puppet, recently reimagined by the Doctor Who writers as an evil, uncanny spirit. Baird would also have been proud that his colour field sequential technology was used to broadcast live television pictures from the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. This is highlighted in a painting by Swayne, featuring Jude Montague in front of the moon.
Exhibition runs until 23 March at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. Sundays, 11 am-4.30 pm. Free entry and Parking. 15 March 7-9.30 pm ‘John Logie Baird – the proto-musical’: closing event 23 March 4 pm-6 pm hmag.org.uk judecowanmontague.com geraldineswayne.org
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply